


touching my hand in a darkened room

by Alice_Prongs



Series: Jily One-Shots [18]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Mutual Pining, That is all, awkward teenagers, jily is adorable, or acknowledge their feelings, this is before they get together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-05-28 13:17:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15049928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alice_Prongs/pseuds/Alice_Prongs
Summary: For a while, she didn’t even notice what was happening. James had grabbed her hand so naturally and had then proceeded to drag her behind him across half of Hogwarts that she hadn’t given it much thought. At some point, though, the feel of his warm palm against hers, his fingers pressing on the back of her hand, the pull on her arm, it all came rushing back at her.orJames holds Lily's hand and she doesn't know what to do about it.





	touching my hand in a darkened room

James had been talking about the prank he and Sirius planned on pulling for about twenty minutes now. A few months ago it would have been impossible for Lily to listen to him without even a frown on her face. Now, she found it even endearing how dedicated he was to this kind of stuff.

“And then, when everyone’s drinks are purple and no one understands what’s going on, the confetti will start popping out of the pies,” he said, waving his hands around in popping motions. She actually had no idea what would happen the next day when they executed their plan, because she had stopped following his train of thought about five minutes into the conversation.

Still, she stared at him with a stupidly fond smile on her face.

It was ridiculous how this was getting to her, and she tried schooling her features. It didn’t quite work. He still had flushed cheeks from excitement, and a goofy grin on his lips, and a happy glint in his eyes – it all made her want to shut him up, preferably with her lips. Lily knew better, though. They were friends now, after years of fights and stupid words and regrets from both sides, and they worked well like that. She wouldn’t jeopardize that for some weird crush that would eventually go away.

Even if Marlene liked telling her he fancied her as well.

And maybe he had, back in fifth year, and even in sixth, but not _now_. Now, they were Head Boy and Girl, two like-minded people who could confide in each other and have long, friendly conversations. There were no messed up unrequited feelings that were worth losing this. So, Lily buried whatever butterflies she felt in her stomach, and acted like he was just her mate.

Which he _was_.

“Blimey, Evans, I completely forgot!” he exclaimed, hands flying to his hair. She startled, blushing as she realized just what she had been thinking about. She cursed her flaming cheeks and the fact that him calling her by her last name did things to her insides.

“What?” she asked, pretending that she had listened to everything he had said. Lily leaned away from him, realizing that they had been talking with their heads close together for a while now. His face too close to hers was never a good idea for her head.

“I promised Sirius I would meet him at the Common Room in, like, five minutes,” he said, looking down at his watch. “Come on, come on.” He stood up, grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him out of the Head’s office.

For a while, she didn’t even notice it was happening. James had grabbed her hand so _naturally_ and had then proceeded to drag her behind him across half of Hogwarts that she hadn’t even given it much thought. Besides, she was still a little bit out of sorts from thinking so much about him. At some point, though, the feel of his warm palm against hers, his fingers pressing on the back of her hand, the pull on her arm, it all came rushing back to her.

Her cheeks started burning in embarrassment once again, and she prayed that he wouldn’t look back. No matter how darkly lit the corridors could get at night with only the torches on the walls, she was pretty sure her face was the same shade as her hair right then.

She didn’t let go, though. The thought never even crossed her mind – and she really didn’t want to wonder _why_ it hadn’t and why it felt so great to hold James Potter’s hand and why she wished they could stay like that forever.

He held her hand until they reached the Common Room and stopped in front of the Fat Lady’s portrait. As they did, their joint hands swung between them and James froze. So did Lily. She looked up at him, and watched as he looked down at their hands and then up at her and then let go immediately. His hand jumped up to his hair, and he looked at anything but her, with his glasses crooked and his cheeks reddening. Her hand felt cold, then, without his, but she closed it and shoved it in her pocket lest she do something stupid – like grabbing his hand again, for example.

“Sorry,” he blurted out, barely looking at her. “I wasn’t trying to…”

She was about to tell him it was fine, no problem, it didn’t mean anything, when the Portrait swung open and Sirius came out. James and Lily startled, jumping even farther apart. Sirius didn’t seem suspicious, since he was already mid-rant.

“Prongs, you’re late!” he exclaimed, arms raised in the air. He looked at Lily briefly, nodding in acknowledgment. “Evans.”

“Black,” she answered, her cracked voice betraying her.

“Yeah, sorry, Sirius. I lost track of time,” James said, still blushing and not looking at Lily.

She cleared her throat, deciding she had to get out of there. It had been ages since the last time she had felt this uncomfortable around James, and she didn’t like it. “Right, I’m gonna go, then. I have to meet Marlene.”

James looked up at her and nodded, uncertainly. Sirius looked between the both of them, frowning, and Lily decided she had to leave before everything got even worse. Waving, she entered the Common Room and threw herself on top of an armchair.

When Marlene looked over at her and asked her why she looked so flushed, her only answer was a groan.


End file.
